"Earlier today I had the opportunity to speak with Raymond Moore," said BNP Paribas Open Owner, Larry Ellison. "Ray let me know that he has decided to step down from his roles as CEO and Tournament Director effective immediately. I fully understand his decision."

"Nearly half a century ago, Billie Jean King began her historic campaign for the equal treatment of women in tennis. What followed is an ongoing, multi-generational, progressive movement to treat women and men in sports equally. Thanks to the leadership of Billie Jean, Martina Navratilova, Venus Williams, Serena Williams and so many other great women athletes, an important measure of success has already been achieved. I'm proud to say that it is now a decade long tradition at our tournament at Indian Wells, and all the major tennis tournaments, to pay equal prize money to both the women and the men."

"I would like to personally thank all the great women athletes who fought so hard for so many years in the pursuit of equal prize money in professional tennis. And I'd like to congratulate them on their success. All of us here at the BNP Paribas Open promise to continue working with everyone to make tennis a better sport for everybody," concluded Ellison.

What he Commented:

Raymond Moore has stepped down as CEO and tournament director of the BNP Paribas Open following controversial comments he made about women’s tennis, the tournament announced on Monday.

Moore provoked outrage a day earlier when he said top-level women’s players rode “on the coattails of the men” and were “very, very lucky” to have equal prize money.

The tennis world reacted strongly as world number one Serena Williams and all-time great Martina Navratilova rebuffed the statements and the ATP men’s tour formally denounced them.

Tournament owner Larry Ellison revealed the departure with a statement that both announced Moore’s resignation and championed the sport’s efforts toward equality.

“Nearly half a century ago, Billie Jean King began her historic campaign for the equal treatment of women in tennis,” Ellison said. “What followed is an ongoing, multi-generational, progressive movement to treat women and men in sports equally.

“I’m proud to say that it is now a decade long tradition at our tournament at Indian Wells, and all the major tennis tournaments, to pay equal prize money to both the women and the men.”

Among his comments, the 69-year-old South African also highlighted Canada’s Eugenie Bouchard and Spaniard Garbine Muguruza as being among the “very attractive prospects” on the WTA circuit, before explaining that they were “physically attractive and competitively attractive”.

“If I was a lady player, I’d go down every night on my knees and thank God that Roger Federer and Rafa Nadal were born, because they have carried this sport,” he said.

When reaction to his remarks flooded in, the former ATP Tour player quickly offered an apology but the damage had already been done.